5 Premier League classics you may have forgotten

There is a reason that the English Premier League is the world's favourite sporting competition. From last-minute heartbreaks to 30-yard screamers, the Premier League has something for everyone.

Fans are served up unrivalled drama and excitement so often that some may even forget some of the league's most exciting moments.

Let's take a trip down memory lane and check out some of the Premier League's forgotten classics.

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#5 Tottenham 4-4 Chelsea (19/03/2008)

Chelsea made the short trip across London to White Hart Lane, looking to avenge their surprise loss to Tottenham in the Carling Cup final just a few weeks earlier.

A win for the Blues would have put them in a strong position in the title race with just a few months of the season left to play. Unfortunately for Chelsea, Spurs had other plans.

Despite taking the lead three times with goals from Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Joe Cole, Avram Grant's Chelsea side were unable to negate Tottenham's spirit as the Lilywhites fought back time and time again, with Dimitar Berbatov very nearly winning the game for Spurs right at the death.

Unfortunately, this eight-goal thriller is rarely referenced when fans remember the Premier League's greatest games. Take a look at the highlights and remind yourself of one of the Premier League's forgotten gems.

#4 Blackburn Rovers 4-3 Manchester United (01/02/2006)

David Bentley notched a memorable hat-trick against Manchester United

Once upon a time, David Bentley was tipped to be the next great English talent in the Premier League. Though it may be hard to imagine now, you would have probably struggled to disagree with suggestions that Bentley could go on to achieve greatness when he was putting in match-winning performances for Blackburn at Ewood Park.

In the game in question, Manchester United travelled to Blackburn desperately seeking three-points to keep league leaders Chelsea in their sights. Unfortunately for them, Bentley had something else in mind. The young winger put Blackburn ahead midway through the first half after which he never looked back. Despite United showing plenty of fight throughout the game and scoring three goals, a Bentley hat-trick and a Lucas Neill penalty were enough to claim a famous victory against Ferguson's men.

Regretfully, Bentley's career fizzled out way too soon, with the Londoner retiring from football at the age of 28. The highlights of this riveting encounter give a wonderful insight into what an exciting talent the Londoner really was.

#3 Portsmouth 7-4 Reading (29/09/2007)

Benjani scored three of the 11 goals in this incredible game

One of the finest adverts you will see for the excitement of the Premier League, although perhaps not the greatest advert for the quality of defending in the league at the time.

Amazingly, at half-time, Portsmouth only lead Reading by two goals to one in what had been a relatively run-of-the-mill game. However, eight second-half goals, including six in the last 20 minutes, meant this game became an unlikely Premier League classic.

Neither Portsmouth nor Reading have ever been the most glamorous of Premier League clubs, and this may be part of the reason that this game seems to have been forgotten with time. Nonetheless, it is not often that you get to see 11 goals with nine different scorers in elite football. So sit back, and enjoy this absolute cracker.

#2 Tottenham 6-4 Reading (29/12/2007)

The Reading defence couldn't handle Berbatov's prowess

Despite Juande Ramos' short and unsuccessful reign at White Hart Lane, you could never accuse his Tottenham side of being boring.

Spurs were the league's perennial entertainers at the time, and against a Reading side who were never short of drama themselves, it was no surprise that there were goals galore when the two sides met in late 2007.

Both sides held the lead multiple times in this particular goal bonanza, and by the end of the game, all thoughts of defending had seemingly been abandoned, as both sides looked to outscore the other.

In the end, Tottenham's firepower was too much for Reading to resist, as Dimitar Berbatov showed his class, bagging an impressive four goals.

#1 Nottingham Forest 1–8 Manchester United (06/02/1999)

Solskjaer put Forest to the sword with four goals

The games on our list so far have all actually been fairly close-fought affairs. Unfortunately for Nottingham Forest, Manchester United weren't in the mood for a close encounter on this winter's day in 1999.

The game didn't always look like the formality it turned out to be. Nottingham Forest responded well to Dwight Yorke's second-minute opener and pulled level almost immediately.

However, United showed their ruthlessness just one minute later as Andy Cole put the Red Devils ahead once again, just seconds later. From then on, there was no looking back. Cole and Yorke bagged two goals each and super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer really rubbed salt into the wounds for Nottingham Forrest, with a remarkable four-goal haul in the final 10 minutes of the game.

This game really is a testament to how dominant Manchester United were at this time. To score eight goals in any game is impressive, but to score eight in a league game, away from home is almost unheard of.

Take a moment to enjoy one of the Premier League's most devastating performances in the highlights below.